The Hunger
by WaywardAngel666
Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal.
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N: Became addicted to this show last week sometime when I first saw the movie. The muse is very happy about this and so demanded some writing time... and this is what came of it. It's my first time in this fandom, so I hope you enjoy._

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><p><em><span>Chapter 1<span>_

"Dude!" Ethan whined, "Don't poke it!"

He pulled his arm back, away from his friend, his strangled words falling on deaf ears as Benny went in for another prod of the bite mark.

"Benny!" he tried once more, tone harsher but still strained.

Benny's hand immediately halted, hovering halfway between Ethan's wrist and his open locker door. "Okay, okay," he relented, drawing back. "But, shouldn't it have healed by now?"

It had been a month. A month since the dance, since Jesse had returned and Ethan had been bitten. A month since Sarah had saved him from becoming a fledgling and in turn, turned herself into a full vampire. And whilst, as they stood at Benny's locker waiting for the first bell of the day, everything appeared to have returned to some level of normality, under the surface Ethan knew trouble was lurking.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Ethan took a breath and considered the mark once more. It had healed somewhat since that night and Ethan was by no means a fast healer, but it bothered him that it hadn't healed more.

Benny pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the mark, as if in deep and careful thought. But the moment lasted merely seconds and his features fell lax once more. "Bah," he uttered, with a dismissive shrug and wave of his hand. "I'm sure it's normal."

"Normal?" Ethan asked, that strangled tension remaining in his voice, causing it to rise an octave as he fought to keep the level low enough so passersby wouldn't hear their conversation. "What part of this is normal?"

"You heard what Grandma said – Sarah got the venom out. You're a regular human being... or at least somewhat regular if you don't count the visions and needing a babysitter thing."

"I don't need a babysitter! It's for Jane..."

But Benny wasn't listening, he was rummaging inside his locker. "I bet vampire bites just take longer to heal than, you know, regular bites. Like when Frodo was stabbed with the Morgul-blade."

"And how is that supposed to comfort me? When Frodo got that wound, he was _never _healed. He suffered with it right through to the end."

"Ok-_ay_, so it was an extreme example."

"You think?"

"And besides," Benny continued, pulling out a book from his locker and shoving it into his bag, "it's not like you're turning or anything. If you _were_ gonna turn into a creature of the undead, you would have done it by now."

Ethan huffed out but nodded, his mind mulling it over as he cast his gaze down the hall. The sight of Sarah pulled him away from his musings and he fumbled with the sleeve of his hoodie, pulling it down to cover the bite mark. "Sarah!" he called out, lips quirked upward in an awkward and somewhat guilty smile, eyes widening at the sight of the babysitter.

Sarah drew closer, suspicion settling in her eyes. "Please tell me you two haven't been up to anything..."

"No," Ethan answered, and even he could tell that the response had been a little too quick. He shared a glance with Benny, swallowing the lump in his throat, before looking back to Sarah. "Nothing at all... no magic, no potions... why would you think we'd been up to anything?"

Her eyes narrowed, the doubt in them clearly visible.

"Err, how are you?" he continued on before she could ask any further questions.

The suspicion still remained in her eyes but it lessened and she shrugged. "Oh, you know – scorching hot sun and no cloud cover. Just _perfect_ weather for a vampire." With a raised eyebrow, she looked Ethan up and down. "Which makes me wonder..."

His face fell, confused, and his right hand moved up to the strap of his backpack, fingers wrapping around it to tug it further onto his shoulder. "What?"

"A hoodie? Again? What part of 'scorching hot sun' are you not feeling? It's gotta be at least twenty degrees outside."

He searched his mind for a lie, tongue grasping the first that came to mind, but as soon as the words began to slip from his lips, he regretted choosing it. "It's my mom... she worries I'm not keeping warm enough."

Sarah's eyes narrowed once more. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah. I'm great... why wouldn't I be?"

"Are you sure? 'Cause you're acting weirder than normal... and for you, that's a pretty hard thing to do."

Benny swung his arm around Ethan's shoulder and grinned at Sarah. "He's just worried that he's tur-"

"-Two days late for my chemistry homework," Ethan cut in over him, elbowing his friend in the ribs as inconspicuously as possible.

"You, the science nerd, late with homework?" Sarah let go of a light scoff and cast a quick glance down the hallway.

Ethan used the opportunity to send a warning glare to Benny in hopes that he would catch the '_Sarah cannot know about this_' message written in his eyes. In return, Benny withdrew his arm from Ethan's shoulder to rub gently at his now bruised ribs, a small pout forming on his lips.

"I got caught up playing video games," Ethan continued when Sarah's attention returned to the pair of them. "_Zombie Ninja 5_, right, Benny?"

"Riiight," Benny drawled out. "_Zombie Ninja 5_, very addictive. Like, ubder addictive. I forgot to shower for a week when I got the first one. 'Course I was ten..."

Sarah's eyes snapped to Benny, face contorting in mild disgust. "Ewww – I really did not need to know that."

"I can see why you would think that way."

If it had been any other girl standing in front of them, Ethan would have wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. But it wasn't, it was Sarah. And Sarah knew them in all their nerd glory. Still, he did wonder sometimes if Benny was just deliberately trying to kill him through embarrassment.

The bell rang out and Sarah adjusted the books in her arms.

"Gotta run," she sighed out, a sullen and slightly dismal look tugging at her features. "Got Mr. Michaels first period. We're reading Latin poetry."

With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared down the hall. Ethan could only stare after her, his own face taking on a forlorn expression.

"Bye," he attempted to call out, but his voice was lost amongst the crowd of students and his next word died on a whisper beneath his breath, "Sarah."

Beside him, Benny closed his locker with a clash and pulled at his schoolbag. "Still crushing on Sarah?" he questioned.

Ethan didn't answer, already making his way toward the first class of the day. Benny followed, falling in step beside him.

"Seriously, E? You've got to tell her. What the worst that could happen?"

"She could laugh."

"Pessimistic but possible..."

Ethan shook his head and continued on. "She could freak out and start avoiding me."

"Oh, I don't know... I think the laughter is more likely."

"Gee, thanks. I thought you were supposed to be encouraging me."

"Oh come on, E. How are you supposed to ever get a date with a hot high school babe if you're all hung up on Sarah?"

Reaching the door to their class, Ethan came to a stop and looked to Benny, eyebrows raised. "I think that's the least of my worries, don't you?"

Benny rolled his eyes and let out a guttural sigh. "You're not still on about that are you? Dude, I swear on my honour as a Spellmaster, you are _not_ turning into a vampire."

"I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about Sarah. She's a..." He stalled, glancing quickly around before lowering his voice to a hush. "She's a vampire."

The words '_And it's my fault._' went unsaid but still they circled round his mind, his gut clenching at the thought.

"Then look on the bright side – if you are changing, you'll make the perfect couple."

Ethan let go of a lengthy breath and closed his eyes. "So not helping," he muttered, opening the door to the classroom and heading inside.

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><p>For the most part, classes went by quickly and the school day drew to a close. When the last bell rang, Ethan gathered up his things from the desk and shoved them into his bag.<p>

"So we have _Return of the Mutant Alien Space Dogs_ or _Zombie Massacre 3_," Benny spoke up from beside him, throwing his bag onto his shoulder and positioning it at his side.

"Huh?" was all Ethan managed in reply.

"Movie night, dude. We've been planning this all week, remember?"

"Yeah, 'course – how could I forget?"

Benny's lips thinned and he stopped in his tracks to consider Ethan. "You did, didn't you?"

When Ethan didn't reply, he continued on.

"How could you forget movie night, E?"

"I didn't forget," Ethan argued but the look on his friend's face told him it was pointless denying it. "Okay," he relented, "so I did but... I've just had a few things on my mind."

They continued on, heading down the hallway and toward Ethan's locker as they talked.

"I told you already," Benny droned, "you're-"

"No," Ethan interrupted. "Not that. It's just... Sarah."

Coming to a stop outside the locker, Benny's face lit up and he clicked his fingers, spinning on the spot to face Ethan. "Oh-ho! You've finally decided to tell her. Man, this is perfect – invite her to movie night. You can share a tub of popcorn."

Letting go of a frustrated sigh, Ethan shook his head and pulled his locker door open. He was saved from having to reply by Sarah who chose that moment to pass by.

"Who's sharing popcorn?" she questioned, stopping just short of the pair.

"No one," Ethan grumbled, tossing a glare Benny's way briefly before turning to look at Sarah, and a bored Erica who stood just beside her.

"So, Sarah," Benny pushed on, undeterred by the glare. "_Return of the Mutant Alien Space Dogs_ or _Zombie Massacre 3_?"

Sarah quirked her lip up, her eyebrows mimicking the motion. "What?"

"Movie night at the multiplex."

"The movies?" Erica questioned, looking to Benny and Ethan for the first time since arriving. "With you dorks? No thanks."

"It's three for two," Ethan tried, voice rising with the plea. He offered a hopeful smile and locked eyes with Sarah as she chewed at her lip.

Her own smile was apologetic and she cast a glance beside her to Erica. "I can't," she answered, looking back to him. "I've got... stuff... to do."

"Stuff, right... yes. Of course. Stuff." He nodded and tried his hardest not to look too disappointed, though he wasn't sure how well it was working for him.

"But I'm babysitting tomorrow, so..."

"So you can watch your boring geekazoid movies then," Erica supplied with a roll of her eyes and dismissive flick of her head.

Again, Sarah smiled, apologetic. "See you tomorrow," she offered, her words left behind on the air whilst Erica grabbed her arm and led her away.

"Yeah, see you," he called, gaze following her down the hallway until he lost sight of the pair of them behind the crowd of jocks that muscled their way through the halls.

"Ha-arsh, man. That was some serious bailing..." Benny rested his elbow on Ethan's shoulder and clucked his tongue, his own eyes also trained on the end of the hall.

Ethan ignored him, shrugging free of the arm and returning to his locker. After several long seconds of shifting things about inside, he paused and looked to Benny. "Has Sarah seemed... _different_ to you?"

Benny raised an eyebrow, a look of condescension falling onto his features. "E, has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?"

"Yes, actually," Ethan answered on a mutter before brushing off the thought and refocusing his mind. "But I'm serious. Ever since _then_..."

His eyes fell to his arm and the sleeve that only just covered the bite mark. His mind swirled and he thought over the last month. Sarah had still been Sarah, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was becoming increasingly distant.

"What do you expect?" Benny asked. "She's been turned into a full vampire. She's gonna live forever. It's a lot to deal with. I mean, it's like learning that your father is the leader of the evil Imperial Army and wants to control the entire galaxy."

"I'd have thought it would be more like crash-landing on a strange planet, only to discover it's actually Earth in the future and everyone you ever loved is now dead."

Benny pursed his lips in thought then nodded. "You make a good point."

Ethan remained silent, finishing up inside his locker as the word 'stuff' circled his mind and he wondered just what it entailed. Though he doubted he truly wanted to know. If Erica was involved, it wouldn't be the regular 'stuff' that other high-school girls got up to – which was exactly why Ethan was worried about Sarah.

"So I'm thinking we go with the space dogs," Benny said, carrying on the conversation from before as if it had never stopped. "After the Lotta Latte thing, I'm not sure I could sit through another zombie movie so soon."

Letting go of a lengthy breath, Ethan closed his locker door and clapped Benny on the back. "Space dogs it is then."

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><p> <em>Thank you for reading - more to come soon.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N: Thanks for reading and for the reviews! I'm still so obsessed with this show and my muse is happily working on this story whenever it gets the chance to. Hope you enjoy!  
><em>

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><p><em><span>Chapter 2<span>_

Friday came. The day flew over, except for gym which involved a game of Dodgeball and a near black eye on Ethan's part, made worse by the fact he had been out and on the bench when the ball had come flying toward him. To him, it had been a miracle that he had chosen that moment to re-tie his laces. Consequently, he only wound up with a severe headache which remained with him right up until the last bell.

And then it was Friday night. The headache was gone, his parents were dressed up and ready to go out, and Sarah had just arrived at his front door.

He checked himself in his bedroom mirror, glancing over his red shirt for any stains or creases that may have magically appeared, and then made his way to the stairs.

"I'll get it!" he called, racing down the steps to reach the door before Jane had a chance to get there first.

He ignored the suspicious glance she sent his way and gripped the handle. After a calming breath, he opened the door and smiled... and then groaned.

"Benny?" he whined, stepping out onto the step briefly to glance up and down the block, searching for any sign of the babysitter.

"Hello to you too," the taller boy answered, making his way into the house and holding up a bag. "I've got the popcorn, so I hope you've got the movies."

With another groan, Ethan shut the door behind him and turned to his parents, a frown tugging at his brow. "Mom," he started, watching her adjust her collar in the hallway mirror, "Where's Sarah?"

"She said she'd be a little late, sweetie," she answered without looking to him. "So you'll have to look after Jane until she gets here. No slacking off and running upstairs to play video games. Think of it as a trial run."

"A trial run?"

"Well, I discussed it with your father earlier and we thought it might be time to give you back some responsibility – let you look after Jane again."

"But... I'm completely irresponsible. I can barely look after myself let alone my eight year old sister."

His mom turned away from the mirror to look at him, quizzical. "Weren't you the one against having a babysitter in the first place?"

"That was before..." Before his life had been turned upside down by said babysitter and every other supernatural entity that Whitechapel harboured. "Besides, it wouldn't be fair on Jane _or_ Sarah. Jane likes her and I know Sarah could do with the money."

"Well, that's very..." she paused, searching for the word, but even when she said it, she didn't seem convinced it fit, "gracious of you."

"Yep, that's me... gracious."

"Right," his mom continued, slow and suspicious, eyes narrowed. But the look slowly disappeared and she grabbed her bag from the table. "Just behave... and stay out of trouble."

When his dad entered the hallway, they moved toward the door and said their brief goodbyes, once more reminding Ethan to behave. Then they were gone.

"_That_... was far too obvious," Benny voiced when the door was closed. He dug into the plastic bag in his hand and pulled out the microwave popcorn, already making his way to the kitchen. "If your parents didn't know about you liking Sarah before, I think they will now."

"I panicked," Ethan answered, following his friend and coming to stop at the kitchen counter. "And besides, it's not about that." Though even his own brain told him that was a complete lie.

Benny raised a sceptical eyebrow at him but remained silent as he got to work on the popcorn.

"We need to keep an eye on Sarah. Now that she's... you know... it'll be even harder for her to resist drinking." He shrugged and glanced back toward to the hallway, waiting for that knock to come, announcing Sarah's arrival. "We need to be there for her and well, she's the only one who can stop Jesse."

Benny's eyes were on the microwave, gaze locked on the bag of popcorn inside. "Maybe he's gone. He did say he was leaving."

Ethan shook his head, face set and serious as he thought about the vampire. "Not without Sarah."

"Who's Jesse?" Jane asked, propping herself up on a stool beside Ethan.

"No one," Ethan dismissed.

"Okay," she hummed, that devious look creeping onto her face like it always did when a certain word cropped up in her mind – blackmail. Ethan knew that look far too well. "I guess I'll just ask Sarah when she comes."

Cringing, Ethan looked to Benny for help but Benny was still glued to the microwave, leaving Ethan to come up with an explanation on his own. "It's Sarah's ex-boyfriend, okay? So don't mention him to her... it'll upset her."

"And we wouldn't want to upset Sarah," Jane carried on, eyes wide and almost innocent... if Ethan didn't know her so well.

"I'll give you five dollars and you can watch the movie with us," he offered.

"Make it twenty."

"Ten."

She paused and hummed before nodding her head and jumping off the stool. "Fine, deal – but I get the couch."

When she disappeared, the microwave beeped and Benny pulled the popcorn from it, turning to face Ethan, features sympathetic. "Dude, your little sister is dangerous."

"Don't I know it." Sinking onto the stool Jane had vacated, Ethan watched Benny busy himself by emptying the popcorn into a bowl, shoving a handful into his mouth as he did so.

"I hope Sarah comes soon," he said after swallowing the majority of what was in his mouth. "'Cause this'll only stay warm for so long. Unless..."

Ethan sat up straighter, eyeing Benny suspiciously. "Unless what?"

"I could always -"

"No," Ethan cut him off with a firm shake of his head. "No, no magic."

"Oh come on, E. One little spell... it'll be harmless."

"No, no, no. It's never harmless." He pushed himself from the stool and waved his arms in front of him to prove how serious he was. "New rule – no magic in my house unless it's for battling some dark, evil force."

"But the popcorn..." Benny pouted, eyes pleading.

"Benny," Ethan continued, features tugging in the way they always did when he was moments away from giving into his friend. And he knew that was exactly how it was. Another few seconds and he would give in and then one spell would turn into two and the popcorn would turn into God only knew what. Which was why he was beyond thankful for the knock at the door. "Sarah's here. So... behave."

He turned, moving to answer the door but stopped just long enough to turn back to Benny and say, "And no magic."

It was halfway to the door that Ethan remembered the bite mark but by then it was too late to grab a jacket. Jane was at the door, hand wrapped around Sarah's wrist in an attempt to lead the babysitter through to the living room.

"You can sit with me on the couch," she said, leaving Sarah with little choice but to comply and follow her.

"Oookay," Sarah answered, casting a glance Ethan's way, a small smile dancing on her lips. "What's the special occasion?"

Ethan's own lips twitched up into an awkward smile and he shrugged in reply, following both Sarah and Jane into the living room.

"Benny! Hurry up, we're putting the movie on," he called over his shoulder, deciding to forget about the mark on his arm for the moment. Besides, the room would be too dark for Sarah to notice it.

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><p>Jane was asleep before the end of the first movie. By the end of the second, Benny was nearly there too. The light from the television screen lit up the room, staining everything in a bluish tint. Sarah still sat on the couch, and Ethan took up Jane's usual space on the floor. He remained still, staring at the television as the movie drew to a close and the credits began to roll.<p>

"I don't know about you," Sarah said from behind him, "but looking at these two makes me feel exhausted."

Losing some of the tension that had been building up inside of him, he shifted to look at Sarah. It was difficult to tell in the dim light but there was a definite tiredness to her eyes that he doubted had anything to do with the two Sleeping Beauties. It brought back his earlier thoughts and worries but he didn't dare voice them out loud, not with Sarah there, smiling at him.

"Benny has that effect," he said instead, rolling the kinks from his shoulders and pushing up to his feet.

Sarah let go of a light laugh, moving to the sleeping form of Jane. "I'll take her up and you can deal with Benny Van Winkle there."

With care, she bundled Jane up into her arms and slipped from the room, leaving Ethan to bend down over Benny in an attempt to wake him. Gripping his friend's shoulder, he shook it lightly and received a grumble in reply.

"No, Grandma, I haven't been near your secret shelf," Benny muttered, head slipping further down the hand it rested on and his breath a moment away from becoming a snore.

"Benny," Ethan tried instead, shaking him a little harder. "Time to wake up."

And of course, Benny being Benny, he couldn't wake gently. He woke with a flurry of movements, one arm flying out to his left and narrowly avoiding Ethan whilst his other hit the bowl that had been holding the popcorn and sending it flying toward the wall.

"Wha- what?" he demanded, pushing up, eyes searching the dark room before landing on Ethan. "Grandma?"

Ethan shook his head and helped Benny to stand. "No," he answered, correcting him. "Ethan."

"Oh," Benny managed in reply, the word disappearing on a yawn before he continued. "I missed the end of the movie, didn't I?"

"You've seen it a million times before."

"But the end is the best part!"

"And now the end is over."

Benny yawned again and stretched out, gaze moving around the living room. "Youch," he said, pointing to the bowl sitting next to the wall, broken. "Sorry about that."

"I'll deal with it..." Ethan answered, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "Besides, my dad's been trying to break that bowl since Great Aunt Meredith gave it to us last Christmas."

"Then in that case, that makes me a hero."

Ethan scoffed, guiding his still sleepy friend toward the front door. "Yeah, you're a real hero – just make sure you wait until you're inside your house to fall back to sleep, Hero."

And even though he doubted Benny _would_ actually face plant onto the ground, he still waited until his friend was out of sight and into the safety zone of his own yard before he shut the door and moved back into the living room. Flicking the light on and the television off, he eyed the broken bowl and the few scattered pieces that lay by the wall. He had just about finished clearing it up by the time Sarah returned back downstairs.

"Jane is tucked up and sound asleep," she informed him, leaning against the doorway and watching him gathering the pieces of bowl.

"And Benny the hero should be about there too now."

"Benny the hero?" Sarah chuckled, eyebrow quirked upward.

"Nothing, just – Ow!" Ethan snapped his hand away, as if the broken pieces had bitten him, and looked down to his palm. At first there was nothing but the sting of pain, and then red began to seep from a small cut at the edge of his palm.

"I should go," Sarah breathed out and when Ethan looked up, he saw that her eyes were locked on his hand and even though she had said the words, she made no attempt to leave, her feet firmly rooted to the spot.

He swallowed hard and watched her, his other hand moving to cover the small wound. "That bad, huh?" he asked, referring to the smell.

"Normally I can control it but..." The rest of her words died away and she breathed out, tearing her eyes away and turning to face the door.

Ethan stumbled up awkwardly to his feet and took a step forward, ignoring the initial rush that caused his head to spin from standing too quickly. "You know, you don't have to go through this by yourself. I'll do whatever I can to help. And Benny too. You're not alone."

"It's not that simple..."

"If you need blood," he continued on, only truly half aware of what he was saying. The rest of his mind was too busy wondering why the dizziness had yet to pass to consider the words tumbling from his mouth. "I hear H deficient tastes pretty good."

"Ethan..." Voice low and tone sad, she turned to face him, pain lining her features. But as her eyes met his, the look melted away to be replaced by worry. "Ethan," she repeated, stronger this time, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm –" he started, but the word 'fine' disappeared when the floor started rising up to meet him. It was only stopped by the arrival of Sarah, gripping his shoulders tight.

Then it was no longer Sarah he was looking at as a familiar feeling took hold, his breath stolen away as a cloud of fog took Sarah's place in his field of vision. A brief flash of images, of blood and fangs, and the fog was gone. Sarah was back, staring into his face.

"Ethan, are you okay?" she asked once more, demanding, her hand moving up to his brow. "You're burning up... Why didn't you tell me you were ill?"

"I'm not ill," he denied, frowning at the question.

"You have a fever, you stupid nerd. That means you're ill. You didn't even know, did you?"

He blinked, vision blurring and then clearing before blurring once again. "M'fine. Jus' tired," he mumbled, and yet, he had the distinct feeling that if Sarah hadn't still been holding him upright, he would have been lying flat on his face.

Not that it would have been a bad thing. In fact, lying down sounded like a real good idea to him right then.

"Ethan… _Ethan_!"

Ethan's eyes snapped open even though he couldn't remember closing them.

"C'mon," Sarah huffed out, pulling his arm around her shoulder and wrapping her own arm around his waist, "we're getting you to bed before you collapse."

And though Ethan couldn't quite remember the journey upstairs or exactly how he got into his bed, he did vaguely remember Sarah whispering under her breath at the doorway to his room before she left.

"Stupid nerd," she said again, fondly. "I can't drink your blood because I couldn't risk it. I couldn't let you turn into this."

And then she was gone and darkness claimed Ethan, a deep chill taking hold of him and dragging him into a disturbed sleep.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! More coming soon!<br>_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N: Thank you so much for the awesome response! It's great being able to share my obsession with MBAV :D This was going to be uploaded tomorrow but tomorrow will be a pretty full day for me and I'm not sure I would have had the chance so I'm uploading it now. Hope you enjoy! Hopefully the next one should be up for Halloween ^^  
><em>

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><p><em><span>Chapter 3<span>_

When Sarah left the Morgan's, Erica was waiting for her.

The night air was cool, the sky clear and moon bright. The pair walked along the sidewalk, a light breeze accompanying them. They could have been average high-school girls, out late, wandering the streets. And to any average onlookers, they sure seemed that way. The only thing to set them apart was their conversation. Though, even then, the average onlooker could have easily mistaken them for overzealous Dusk fans. Whilst once over that may have been true, in that moment, their conversation had nothing to do with Dusk.

"Babysitting? Really? We're so much better than that, Sarah." Erica examined her fingernails, frowning at a scratch in the nail vanish of her index finger. "We can _go_ anywhere, _do_ anything. So why are we still stuck in this hokey little town?"

"I happen to like it here, Erica," Sarah defended, pushing forward.

"Why? We're vampires. What could this town possibly have for us anymore?"

Sarah laughed, sardonic and dry. "My family for one. What do you think my parents would do if I just up and left? I couldn't let them worry like that."

"They're parents. It's what they do. If they're not worrying, they're not happy."

"Erica…" The name was drawn out, Sarah's frustrations showing through in it.

"Oh come on, live a little. So your parents will worry? Big deal. If that's the only thing keeping us here, then I don't see the problem." She let go of a sigh, eyes rolling. "They'd get over it eventually."

"I wouldn't!" Sarah's feet fell still and she turned to face Erica, head cocked to the side as she considered her friend. "This is our home. We go to school here. We have _friends_ here."

"_We're_ friends, Sarah. _Best_ friends."

Eyes downcast, a light breath escaped from Sarah's lips and she felt her shoulders slump. She had been best friends with Erica since forever and as much as she had changed, she was still Erica. She still always had Sarah's back, and Sarah knew it. But she couldn't just abandon Whitechapel. She couldn't abandon the other friendships she had formed.

"You're thinking about your nerd, aren't you?" Erica questioned, arms crossed in front of her and eyebrows raised, demanding. "Give it up, sweetie. You're gonna have to sooner or later."

Sarah ignored her, shaking her head and turning away, continuing down the sidewalk. But Erica wasn't done.

"The math is easy. Human, plus vampire, equals disaster waiting to happen." Trailing behind Sarah, Erica pushed on. "We will live forever in all our hotness… whilst they, they'll eventually grow old and die."

"Yeah, in like eighty years time," Sarah countered.

Erica's face contorted, nose wrinkling up. "Are you saying you still want to be hanging around them when they're all wrinkly and smelly and… _old_?"

Sarah waved her arms in exasperation. "I'm saying, they'll get old… but not yet."

Erica clucked her tongue, shaking her head. "How soon before they leave you behind? You really think nerd one and nerd two are going to hang around forever? The likes of them will go away to some dork filled college… and then what?"

"I don't know," Sarah forced out from behind clenched teeth. "I'm trying not to think that far ahead."

"I'm just saying, Sarah. You need to start thinking about leaving them behind before they can leave you. It'll hurt less that way."

"It's easier said than done."

Erica offered a sad smile, almost apologetic. "It's for their own good too, you know? As long as you're around them, Jesse will hurt them to get to you. Do you really want that?"

And that question left an uneasy pit in Sarah's stomach. She knew what Jesse was like and as much as she hoped that staying around and keeping an eye on things would keep him at bay, she did wonder if maybe the result would be the opposite. Would staying around make things worse? For Whitechapel? For her friends? For Ethan?

"Think about it, Sarah," Erica implored, taking a step back and allowing her fangs to flash in the moonlight. In another instant, she was gone, leaving Sarah alone with nothing but a heavy heart and aching stomach, a sharp reminder of her earlier hunger.

She could have lied to herself and said things were better now she was a full vampire. She could have said that the hunger and thirst for blood had lessened. But it hadn't. Far from it. The blood she took from animals quenched the thirst a little. It made it manageable. But she had tasted human blood and it was not one she would forget anytime soon. Ethan's blood. Rare and tempting…

And perhaps her biggest worry wasn't Jesse, or wasn't the thought of being left behind. Maybe the reason she had been attempting to distant herself, and failing, was because she was worried that _she_ would be the one to hurt her friends. To hurt Ethan…

It was for exactly that reason that she couldn't help but actively consider Erica's offer.

* * *

><p>Ethan woke wrapped up in a cocoon of sweat drenched sheets. Warmth radiated around him, smothering him, and yet still he shivered. A cold chill etched its way into his skin, coating it like a thin layer of ice that fought back against the heat and showed no signs of melting. His head throbbed, his stomach rolled and all in all, he felt like a wreck.<p>

"Guuh," he moaned, rolling onto his side and curling up into a ball. He pulled the sheets tighter around him but it did nothing to fight off the chill.

Vaguely, at the back of his mind, he had the memory of Sarah helping him up to bed. But it was only faint and any thoughts concerning it were washed away with a wave of nausea that forced him to close his eyes and focus on just breathing. Even when the nausea passed, he kept his eyes closed, deciding it was less effort that way.

A light knocked echoed from the other side of his bedroom door and he grunted in reply, feeling too out of it to form words beyond caveman speak. The door creaked open and he pulled his head up enough to peer at the blurry visitor that somewhat resembled his father.

"Hey there, champ," was the sympathetic greeting. "How you feeling?"

Ethan opened his mouth to answer but still words failed him. It took too much energy to even think of the right words let alone sound them out. So he buried his head back under the duvet cover, hiding away from the lights and noises of the early morning, and offered a pitiful moan up for his reply.

"I'll leave you to it then," his dad answered, backing out of the room and closing the door with a click, leaving Ethan alone with the silence and stillness of his room.

The last time Ethan could remember being as ill as he felt then was when he had chickenpox that time in fifth grade. It had not been pretty and worst of all, computer games had been strictly prohibited. For him, it had been the couch and daytime television, with Great Aunt Meredith watching over him while his parents were at work. He had vowed then to never get sick again.

"Oh god," he whined, burying his face into his pillow at the memory of Great Aunt Meredith's 'special medicine'. He envied Jane for never getting the opportunity to try it and given how he felt at that moment in time, his only consolation was the fact that Great Aunt Meredith had moved away to Hawaii and took her medicine with her.

He shifted about once more, to lie on his back, and groaned, the sound muffled by his sheets. "This is exactly how I _didn't _want to spend my Saturday. Ill."

When sleep claimed him again, it was restless. His dreams were filled with an onslaught of images, a reminder of his vision in full, vivid, Technicolor detail. Blood and fangs. Once brown eyes rimmed with a golden yellow, glowing softly. And Ethan tossed and turned, becoming ever more tangled in his sheets, heartbeat quickening and breathing laboured. Until he turned over just that little too much and his body, along with his sheets, was brought crashing down to his bedroom floor.

He woke and groaned, a pitiful and strained 'oow' escaping from his lips. Then he lay there, staring up at the ceiling in his now darkened room.

Even with his eyes open, he could still see the image clearly, from the dream and from the vision. He could still see himself, as if he were staring at a somewhat distorted reflection from a funhouse mirror. Only instead of making him look tall and lanky or short and stout, this mirror did a different trick. It turned his image into that of a vampire.

After several long moments, he pulled himself back up onto his bed and perched himself on the edge. His open curtains allowed light from the streetlamps to filter in and brighten his room somewhat, enough to see by. Not that it mattered. He wasn't looking around his room. His gaze was lost to the floor, unfocused as his thoughts wandered.

With whatever illness had gripped him, he had slept most of the day away. But he no longer felt like death. Though his mind felt sluggish, his body felt…. great. It buzzed with unspent energy and he had to place a hand on his knee to keep it from bouncing. It was in that moment that he caught a glimpse of the bite mark, or what was left of it.

No matter what Benny had said, this wasn't normal. Nothing ever was anymore. Not in their town. Not when it concerned them. So what did it mean?

Swallowing thickly, he pushed up and turned his lamp on, bracing himself for the sudden brightness. In an attempt to force back the thoughts and fears, he got himself together and threw on a clean shirt and sweats before wandering from his room and downstairs to face his parents.

They stood in the kitchen, sorting through the dirty dishes that lay in the sink and on the counter tops. He stopped at the doorway, hands shoved into his pockets, and cleared his throat. The noise caused his parents to pause in their work and face him.

"Champ!" his dad called, tone surprised.

A sheepish smile played at Ethan's lips and his mom moved forward, abandoning the dirty dishes altogether.

"You feeling better, honey?" she asked, coming to a stop in front of him and bringing her hand up to his brow. She laid it against his skin for a second or two then moved it to his cheek. When it fell away completely, she sighed. "I think the fever's gone but you still feel clammy. Maybe you should eat something."

"I'm not really hungry," he mumbled in reply.

But his mom shook her head, lips thinned and face set. "I'll rephrase that – you _will_ eat something. I'll make you some soup."

And before he knew it, he was sitting on a stool and staring down at the bowl of warm tomato soup in front of him. He probed at it gently with his spoon, like a small child might have done with a stick and piece of road kill, and watched as the thick, reddish orange liquid sloshed about inside the bowl.

"It'll make you feel better," his mother said, eyes never leaving him.

But the words were lost on Ethan. His thoughts were elsewhere, the colour of the soup putting him in mind of other things. Dipping his spoon into the soup, he filled it and pulled it free, his gaze locked on the red liquid that dripped back down into the bowl.

Red…

"You okay, kiddo?" his father asked, hand landing on Ethan's shoulder.

The noise and touch startled him and the spoon fell from his grip, landing with a clatter and a splash in the bowl below.

A concerned frown etched its way onto his dad's face. "What's going on inside that head of yours, Ethan?"

Ethan attempted a smile and a shrug to reassure his parents, not that he was sure it worked. "Same old junk," he answered.

And 'same old junk' was at least partly true because he did think about vampires. He thought about Sarah, and Erica and Rory. He even thought about Jesse. And he worried. Yet… this time, his worries had taken a different course. After all, even though he worried about being a walking, talking Happy Meal for vampires, he so very rarely worried about he himself turning into a vampire and when he had, it had been a passing thought. But now, it was different…

* * *

><p><em>More soon! Thanks for reading!<br>_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N: I am enjoying writing this so much so it means a lot to be able to share it with others. So thank you again for reading and for the wonderful reviews. _

_Starting tomorrow, November 1st, is Nanowrimo (it's just gone 31st October over here). For those who don't know - Nanowrimo is about writing 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November (type Nanowrimo into google to find out more to take part as well! :D). So, I'm going to be attempting that this year... add to that the awesome video games coming out in November (Uncharted 3, Assassin's Creed, COD:MW3), I'm gonna be kept pretty busy. BUT I still aim to get weekly updates up... _

_Anyway, enough about that... hope you enjoy! Oh! Also: HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 4<br>_

Ethan spent his Sunday trying not to freak out. He barely ate and eventually only left his room when his parents became so worried that they threatened to send Jane in. Even then though, his mind was locked away, going over and over the same things. It drained him of his energy and by Monday, his mind and body were so exhausted that he slept in.

His alarm failed to wake him. His parents' calls failed to wake him. Even Jane's sing-song voice only caused him to turn over and slip deeper into sleep. In the end, it was a text from Benny that woke him enough to open his eyes. The second text, demanding to know where he was and why he wasn't at school yet, had adrenaline pumping through Ethan's system as he was pushed from his 'sleeping dead' state to 'completely wide awake and running late' state.

It was a rush to get ready, hopping about his room in an attempt to pull his jeans on whilst also searching for his missing trainer that had disappeared in the night – followed by trying to find a clean shirt and then trying to pull it on the right way round and not inside out and back to front like he had managed to the first time he tried. The only time he paused, in his rushing and thumping and crashing about, was when he stopped to look in the mirror in order to sort his mop of hair out.

And part of him wished he hadn't.

"Great," he croaked, a squeak of a whimper forming somewhere in his throat. Uneasiness settled in, his reflection mimicking the mixture of worry and despair that settled on his face. If only it would also mimic his solid form and stop wavering in and out of existence. "At least I don't have fangs… yet."

By the time he finally made it to school, first class of the day hadn't just started – it was drawing to a close. He hid in the toilets to avoid being cornered by any hall monitors or stray teachers, and he stayed there until the bell announced the end of class. When the bell rang, he adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder and shot his wavering reflection a wary look before making his way out to Benny's locker.

Once there, he proceeded to wait impatiently for his friend to arrive; constantly fidgeting, shuffling from one foot to another, eyes flickering up and down the hallway until finally landing on Benny.

"_Dude_!" Benny called, approaching the locker with his arms splayed out in front of him, face questioning. "Where have you _been_? You completely missed first period."

"Benny!" Ethan answered, voice strained and hushed, eyes darting back and forth amongst the other students.

"I had to tell Mrs. Tennerson that your dog died."

"I don't have a dog…"

"But Mrs. Tennerson doesn't know that."

Ethan took a second to process the information before shaking it off and refocusing his attention. "Benny – listen to me."

"I think she might be suspicious though, so try and look mopey when she's around – pout a little." Benny paused, looking Ethan up and down and nodding. "Yeah, kind of like that but a little less distressed."

"Benny!" Ethan tried again, voice almost turning into a whine. "Benny – I'm a _vampire_." And right there, his voice _did_ turn into a whine – rising an octave as he winced at his own words.

"I'm sorry," Benny answered, slow and careful, eyes narrowed. "It sounded like you just said you're a vampire."

"I'm _turning_, Benny." Ethan's voice all but disappeared, urgent and strained. "What do I do? I don't want to be a vampire."

"Okay, first of all – relax and breathe in." Benny motioned with his hands, breathing in deeply to show what he meant.

Ethan copied, drawing in a long breath and holding it. It didn't work. It wasn't relaxing him and he could feel his face turning red, his lungs strained.

"And out," Benny added hurriedly. "There. Better?"

"No?"

"Ah…" Benny's hand moved up to his mouth, index finger resting against his bottom lip and eyes narrowed once more in thought.

"Ah? Is that all you have to say? I'm halfway to becoming a vampire and all you can say is 'ah'?"

"Well… how do you know you're turning? Do you have fangs?"

"Fangs? No… I don- I don't know. I haven't exactly figured it all out yet and I'd rather _fix it_ before I have to." He held his arm up between them and twisted it around so Benny could see the bite mark. "Look – it's almost gone and that is _not_ a good sign. And when Sarah touched me on Friday, I had a vision."

"And..?" Benny probed, head tilting to the side.

"I saw myself… as a vampire."

"Cosplay, dude. Simple." The answer was instant, no sign of hesitation. "It's not like it would be the first time we'd LARPed."

"You're not-" Ethan started, before cutting himself off, a frustrated growl rumbling at the base of his throat.

His eyes roamed the halls, taking in the passing students, and then landed on the door to the toilets. Within a moment, Ethan gripped a hold of Benny's arm and began to lead him toward the door. Once inside, he glanced about quickly, checking that the stalls were empty and the place void of anyone who could overhear. Then he planted Benny in front of the mirrors and moved to stand next to him.

The reaction was immediate.

"Dude, you're…" Benny glanced back and forth between Ethan and the mirrors, his lips moving soundlessly as he pointed at one then the other. Strained, his voice came back. "You're a… You're a _fledgling_? _How_?"

Ethan didn't answer. He didn't have one to give.

"Did Sarah…? Or was it Erica? Or… _Rory_?"

"Wha-? _No_!"

"Then how?" Benny's movements stopped and his eyes landed on Ethan's reflection, remaining there. The confusion and shock were still clear on his face and in his widened eyes, but it had worn off enough to make him appear more coherent. "Does Sarah know?"

"No," Ethan answered simply, swallowing the lump that had begun forming in his throat. His gaze fell away from the mirrors and to his feet.

Benny shook his head and span on the spot to face Ethan fully, becoming animated once more. "You need to tell her, E. This is big… like Star Trek the movie big…"

And on some level, Ethan knew he was right, but on a deeper level, he was wary. He met Benny's eyes and shook his own head. "No! I can't… if Sarah finds out about this, she'll think it's her fault."

"What?" Benny questioned, voice rising into a perplexed cry. "Why would she think that?"

"Because this, whatever this is, has got something to do with that night Jesse bit me – I just know it does." Just as he had known there was a meaning behind the bite mark not healing. He knew. He knew it all led back to then.

"But Sarah got the venom out."

"I know that…" Ethan answered, frustrated as he brushed it off and took a step toward the sinks, eyes landing on his reflection and the fading mark on his arm. "But what if she didn't get it all?"

* * *

><p>The thing about Benny was, given enough time, he could convince Ethan to do almost anything. It was a gift he hadn't so much developed through the years as mastered to the point of near perfection. And worst of all, even though Ethan was aware of this, he still hadn't been able to come up with a counter attack. Most of the time, this led to trouble, and as Ethan stood outside of the school at the end of the day, waiting for Sarah, he wondered if this time would end in the same result.<p>

"Be strong, young Skywalker. The Force is strong with you," Benny encouraged from beside him.

"Not helping, Benny," Ethan snapped back, digging his hands into his jeans' pockets and shifting restlessly from one foot to the other.

"Chillax, E. Once Sarah finds out, she'll know what to do. She always does."

Ethan let go of a low growl, cranky and irate. "I will _not_ 'chillax'. Sarah has enough on her plate without me adding more…"

"Okaay, Mr. Grumpy Pants…"

And the way Benny went sullenly silent, drawing in on himself, his eyes not even pulled in by the twelfth grade girls passing by, had Ethan feeling instantly guilty. Throwing his head back, he breathed out.

"I'm sorry, Benny. I'm just…" But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to say 'hungry'. The very thought of saying it twisted his stomach up into an uncomfortable knot. So it hovered, unsaid, on the air between them and if Benny understood, he gave no sign, remaining silent.

Ethan was thankful and felt himself relax a little, tension ebbing away… until a third person decided to choose that moment to wander over and join in their conversation.

"Sup, my buds?" Rory called out, slinging his arms around both Ethan and Benny's shoulders.

"Now is _really _not a good time, Rory," Ethan replied, shrugging free and turning his attention away from both friends and back toward the main entrance of the school.

"Aw c'mon man… You guys _never_ hang out with me anymore," Rory whined, pulling back, a childish pout forming on his face.

"That's not true," Benny denied. "We hung out last… when was it again?"

"See!"

"That doesn't prove anything. Does it, E?"

The question washed over Ethan, unheard, his eyes locking on Sarah emerging from the main entrance. "I'll… I'll be right back," he said instead, abandoning the conversation and pushing forward toward Sarah.

She smiled when she noticed him, looking him up and down before coming to a stop in front of him. "Well you look… better," she said, lips turning up into a smile and eyes narrowed, questioning.

"Yeah…" Ethan answered, drawing the word out. He shifted, tugging at his backpack. "About that… can we talk?"

"We are talking, aren't we?" she teased, eyes playful.

He shuffled from foot to foot and back again. He had imagined the conversation going so much easier in his head, much more certainty, much less nervous fidgeting – like he was a child who was about to admit to stealing from the cookie jar. Only this confession was so much worse than that. "I mean somewhere with less… people."

That worried look was back on Sarah's face. The one she had worn on Friday night. The same one she seemed to wear a lot since the dance. "Ethan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine… I just… just need to tell you some-"

But a hand on his shoulder stopped him short and he became aware of the new presence that he was so sure hadn't been there only a moment before. A hollow presence, cold and unwelcome… and Ethan didn't need to look to see who it was. He didn't need to hear. He knew. But the presence spoke all the same and that familiar voice filtered through, the one that filled Ethan with dread. The one that made his throat close up and stomach twist.

"Well if it isn't Beauty and the Geek," Jesse drawled, tone bored, mocking. He removed his hand and circled the pair. "And just how are the two love birds?"

And really, Ethan thought, it just couldn't possibly get any worse than that.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading! More coming soon!<br>_


	5. Chapter 5

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N:Thank you to everyone for reading and also thank you for the reviews ^^ Nanowrimo is going pretty well which means I still have plenty of time left to also work on this story. _

_Hope you all enjoyed Halloween!_

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><p><em>Chapter 5<em>

"Jesse," Sarah bit out, her tone tense and sharp.

Her back straightened, shoulders as tense as her tone as she drew herself up to her full height. It wasn't much but it made her look as tall as Ethan, his reaction the opposite. His shoulders slumped, his eyes wandering back and forth between Sarah and Jesse, rather than just remaining locked on Jesse – determined, unwavering, as Sarah's were.

All in all, whilst Sarah's body language clearly said that she was on guard and had been since Jesse's arrival, Ethan's body language went more along the lines of a sarcastic '_Great_'.

"Now is that anyway to talk to a friend?" Jesse questioned, his words still mocking, face pulled into a fake pout. He brought a hand up to his heart. "I'm hurt, Sarah."

"We're not friends. We haven't been _friends_ since you turned me into _this_ and started hurting my real friends."

"That's just harsh."

But Sarah just shook her head and scoffed. "What do you want, Jesse?"

Holding his arms out, Jesse tilted his head to the side, a gesture of 'innocence' that was anything but genuine. "I just dropped by to check how my fledgling is doing."

His gaze flickered between Sarah and Ethan, lingering longer than was comfortable on the latter. It made Ethan shift, his chest tightening as a disturbing thought crossed his mind. Did Jesse know?

"I'm not your _fledgling_ anymore," Sarah threw back at Jesse, standing her ground and refusing to back down. "Thanks to you and your dirty little trick."

"Ah yes," Jesse answered, flippant, as if he had forgotten all about it. The look in his eyes and the slick and smarmy smirk on his face clearly said he hadn't though. He leaned in a little toward Sarah, closing the gap between them and entering her breathing space, and his voice lowered, almost hushed, as if sharing a secret. "But are you sure you got all that nasty venom out?"

Sarah swallowed, the hesitation in her answer so brief that had Ethan not been watching the pair in front of him so closely, he would have missed it altogether.

"Yes," she said, her jaw firmly set and eyes still locked with Jesse's.

At that, Jesse drew back, like a dignified loser who knew they couldn't win, or more like a patient hunter who had laid their trap and now knew all they had to do was wait. "It's a shame though, really, now that you're a full vampire," he continued, "For you that is, not me."

"And why's that?" Ethan questioned, dreading the answer. After all, his heart was still heavy with the guilt of it being because of him.

"I found a cure."

Sarah shook her head. "I don't believe you."

Undeterred, Jesse carried on as if she hadn't even spoken. "But the thing is, it only works on fledglings and since you're not a fledgling anymore..." He clicked his teeth and offered a falsely sympathetic smile. "If you had been, I could have given it to you."

He took a step back and swooped down into a graceful bow, eyes glowing softly as they flickered to meet Ethan's once more, that slick smile growing even more deadly. When he rose from the bow, he turned on his heel to leave. "Tonight, in the gym – say about ten clock..." he threw over his shoulder, already moving away from them. "At least, that's what I would have said."

And that answered Ethan's previous thought. It was too deliberate, too obvious... Jesse knew. Somehow he knew. But even though that should have raised alarm bells, even though it should have said something to Ethan, he was too focused on Jesse's last words... Sure, he knew Jesse might as well have said 'come to gym at ten o'clock tonight and I'll have a nice little trap waiting for you'. He knew. Yet the words had been said. 'Cure' had been mentioned. The temptation was there. And Ethan wasn't sure if he could resist or, if Jesse was telling the truth, if he wanted to resist.

"Creep," Sarah muttered, glaring off in the direction Jesse had gone before turning to look back at Ethan where the glare melted away into a much more pleasant look. "What was it you wanted to tell me?" she asked after a moment.

Ethan smiled, sheepish, and shrugged. "I can't remember," he lied. "But it can't have been that important."

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty worked up." She frowned, the uncertainty ringing through in her tone.

"Nerd stuff...?" he answered slowly, hoping she wouldn't pick up on the obvious lie... or at least, that she wouldn't react to it.

But she did.

"I swear, if you and Benny are up to anything – I will totally kick your backsides."

"We're not... we wouldn't..."

"Just promise me, no more love potions or love spells or anything like that..." Sarah placed her hands out in front of her, motioning them downwards as she mentioned each forbidden thing.

And for a brief moment, that heavy feeling in Ethan's chest lightened and a genuine smile danced at his lips. "You're not jealous, are you?" he joked with a timid smile, ignoring the heat that seared up his back and threatened to spread across his cheeks.

"_Ethan_," she answered, drawing out his name in low warning.

"Trust me, after the last time – never again." And he meant it. Mostly.

She looked him up and down, suspicious, but said no more. For which he was thankful.

Hitching a thumb over his shoulder, he motioned toward Benny and Rory who appeared to still be arguing. "I better..."

Sarah nodded in understanding. "Yeah. I have to wait for Erica anyway. Make sure she doesn't try and leave with any of the jocks."

She didn't need to say why. Ethan knew. Erica didn't have the restraint that Sarah did. Even now Sarah was a full vampire, she still had more restraint than Erica. It made him wonder if he would be able to hold out as much as she had. But if Jesse was telling the truth, if he had a cure, then maybe he wouldn't have to worry.

Ethan turned and started to head back toward Benny and Rory, but he paused before he could go too far. Looking back to Sarah, he swallowed and called out to her, feeling the need to reassure her. "Don't worry about what Jesse said. He's just trying to get to you."

"I know... he just _really_, _really_ winds me up." She let go of a frustrated sigh, shaking her head. "I wish he would just leave Whitechapel and _us_ alone."

"Me too," Ethan added, opening his mouth to say something further. He shut it again and offered a smile up instead. It was safer that way. After all, Sarah didn't need to know. She didn't need the extra weight on her shoulders. "See you tomorrow," he forced out instead.

With that, he made his way back over to Benny and Rory, eyes focused on the former. The two broke away from their argument and Benny looked to Ethan expectantly, eyes wide and arms splayed out, questioning. The 'well?' went unsaid but Ethan could read it perfectly.

"Jesse knows," he answered the unasked question, tone hushed, almost a whisper.

Benny frowned, head cocked to the side. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Ethan continued, shaking his head lightly as his gaze dropped away in thought, "but I have a feeling he knew this was going to happen all along..."

"What does Jesse know?" Rory piped up.

Ethan stalled at the question and Benny shrugged feebly in reply to the 'help!' look that crossed Ethan's features. "He knows... that we're planning to..."

"To keep him away from Sarah and Erica," Benny supplied, nodding enthusiastically as his lips thinned into an unsure smile.

"Yes! Exactly that..."

"Jesse's after Erica?" Rory questioned, face taking on a puppy-dog eyed pout.

"Yes, and you know what would be great?" Ethan went on, glancing over his shoulder to where Erica had joined Sarah. "If you could keep an eye on them – make sure they make it home without any Jesse problems."

"Me?" The blond vampire perked up and puffed his chest out.

"Well, you know," Benny added, "you are the only one of us who is a vampire. And this really sounds like a job for Vampire Ninja."

"I'm on it!" Before either could say anything further, 'Vampire Ninja' disappeared in a blur.

"Do you think he suspects anything?" Ethan asked, watching Sarah and Erica head off along the pavement, unaware of a bristling bush a few feet behind them.

"Rory? Nah... I mean, he's Rory."

Ethan nodded in agreement and turned back to face Benny, face set and serious again. He waited for his friend to face him before he continued on, returning to the main subject. "Jesse said he has a cure."

"A cure?" Benny narrowed his eyes, watching Ethan carefully, suspicious.

"Yeah, he wants me to meet him at the gym tonight..."

"And what did Sarah say about this?"

"She... doesn't know?" Ethan offered a mix between a guilty smile and a wince, shrugging as he did so.

"You didn't tell her?" Benny's voice rose into an incredulous whine. In return, Ethan's rose to match the pitch.

"I was going to! But then Jesse came and..." His words died away, the implication left hanging.

Benny rolled his eyes and shook his head. It took him another moment to catch onto the sheepish silence Ethan had fallen into. "You're not actually planning on going, are you?

"I have to."

"Dude... E! It's so obviously a trap! Would Hans Solo go marching into the Death Star just because Darth Vadar said he wanted to talk? Would Batman meet with the Joker because the Joker said he had Batman's favourite baseball card? Would... would Superman fly on over to Lex Luther and just offer himself up?"

"Yes!" was Ethan's strangled reply. "If it was for the right reason! The hero _always_ walks into the middle of a trap, _knowing_ it's a trap, because... because they have to! It's what the hero does!"

"Then I'm coming with you."

"No, Benny, you can't." On that point, Ethan was certain. His mind was set.

"Why not? If you're the hero of the piece, then that means I get to be sidekick – which means, I get to save your ass when it all goes wrong."

"Or you get to die trying!" Ethan shook his head, firm. "No... this is my trap. I'm not going to let anyone else get hurt."

"Then _please_," Benny begged, "at least tell Sarah."

"Tell her what? That I've been turned into a vampire fledgling but if Jesse's telling the truth, it doesn't matter?"

"Yes?"

Ethan huffed out, frustrated, and turned away, beginning his walk home. Benny caught up with him within three steps, walking almost sideways as he continued on, his determination to change Ethan's mind coming through clearly.

"So you're going to meet with an evil vampire cult leader, without back up, knowing it's a trap?" Benny's hand gripped Ethan's firmly, forcing them both a stop and forcing Ethan to look at him.

Immediately, Ethan felt a vision grip hold of him too, drawing him in and taking away his breath. It was just flashes, brief images that barely fit together. But two images stood out, the one from the previous night that had haunted his dreams ever since, of himself as a vampire, stained in blood... and a second image. Benny, also stained in blood, lying lifeless on the ground.

His stomach dropped and he pulled away.

"Yes," he answered Benny's question, desperation now mingling with his resolve. If he had had any doubts left over, the vision had pushed them away.

It wasn't the smartest thing to do, he knew that. But if he kept on that track, if he remained a fledgling, then he knew the vision would come true... and if going to meet Jesse would stop that, it was a risk he was willing to take. He just had to hope it was the right risk.

"I'm going, Benny," he continued. "And I'm going to get that cure."

"Ethan, dude..."

But Ethan shook his head, stopping Benny from finishing whatever plea had been on the tip of his tongue. "It'll be fine... You'll see."

Though really, who was he trying to convince? Benny? Or himself? After all, he couldn't quite figure out just why Jesse would offer him a cure in the first place. But on the same note, what would Jesse have to gain from luring him to the gym? And it was that thought that he clung onto.

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><p><em>Thank you for taking the time to read! More soon!<br>_


	6. Chapter 6

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N: Hey again! Update time ^^ Thanks to everyone for reading and for all the comments. I hope you enjoy!  
><em>

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><p><em><span>Chapter 6<span>_

Ethan looked down at the street outside of his bedroom window, eyes passing over the spot where he knew Benny was hiding – a patch of overgrown bushes in the next door neighbour's garden. It would have been a good hiding spot, except for three things: Ethan knew Benny, Ethan had seen the lights from a passing car reflect off of Benny's 'spy equipment', and... Ethan had watched as Benny had taken up position in an awkward and extremely non-stealthy manner several hours before.

He had been expecting it after finding a small tracking device in amongst his English homework. Consequently, not only had he been watching the clock, waiting for ten o'clock to draw near, but he had been watching the street also.

He glanced to the clock once more. Half nine. It was time. A sigh slipped passed his lips and he looked out onto the bushes. "Sorry, Benny," he muttered, "I gotta do this."

With that, he grabbed his waiting backpack from his bed and made his way toward his door. The tracking device sat on his desk, red light flashing occasionally to say it was still turned on. He had it all planned out. He would sneak out the back, climb over a few fences, and make it to the school by ten. In the meantime, Benny would still be sitting out the front of his house, waiting and thinking Ethan was inside. He would be safe.

His parents were too distracted by the television to notice or ask any questions as he slipped into the kitchen and out of the back door. It was all going smoothly, until he came to the first fence and got his jeans caught in his attempt to clamber over it.

"C'mon," he urged, voice a whisper in the dark, his body balanced uncomfortably on top of the fence, one leg over and waiting to hit the ground, the other jerking up and down in order to free the fabric that had snagged. "C'mon, c'mon... damn i-"

_THUMP!_

He landed on the ground beyond the fence, the fabric having given way and gravity having worked its magic. On his back, staring up at the midnight blue sky, he lay like that for moment and wondered why, if he was practically a vampire, couldn't he manage a small, four foot fence?

He didn't stay there long enough to come up with an answer. Instead, he dragged himself to his feet, grumbling and groaning the whole time about the injustices in the world that came with being a geek as opposed to a hot-blooded jock. Then he was moving again, still grumbling, adjusting his backpack and pulling it onto both shoulders before breaking into a jog.

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><p>"You're not going anywhere, my friend," Benny muttered beneath his breath, crouched down behind the largest bush he had managed to find.<p>

He stared down at the display of his camera, watching the still night vision image on the screen and taking note of the time there. With his free hand, he brought a small voice recorder up to his mouth and pressed the record button.

"Approaching twenty-two hundred hours and all is well. No sign of activity for over an hour." His voice lowered, taking on an almost growl as he slipped into the part of 'spy' and spoke into the recorder. Releasing the record button, his eyes rose to Ethan's window before falling back to the camera.

Barely a moment later, his stomach rumbled and he hit the record button once more. "Still approaching twenty-two hundred hours and I'm hungry..." he glanced to the empty bag on the ground beside him, "and out of marshmallows."

Letting go of a deep breath, he closed the camera up and fell back into a seated position on the ground. He had decided shortly after the first twenty minutes that staking someone out wasn't nearly half as much fun by himself. After the first hour when he had needed to take a toilet break, he had decided it wasn't nearly half as practical either. And right then, after having downed half a bottle of cola, he was really starting to feel the need for another toilet break but given how close it was to ten o'clock, he knew he couldn't. If Ethan was going to make a move and go to the school gym alone, it was going to be within the next half hour.

A hand on his back startled him from his thoughts and he let go of a small yelp. Spinning on the spot and almost falling backward into the bush, his wide eyes took in the familiar features of Rory.

"That is really creepy!" he complained, holding a finger up to the blonde vampire. Attempting to get his heart rate and breathing back under control, he shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here? Apart from trying to scare the living crap out of me."

"I followed Erica and Sarah like you said," Rory answered, "But Erica spotted me and told me to get her a Vanilla Creme Frappucino from the other side of town. By the time I got back with it, they were gone. I got tired of looking so I came here."

"Right..."

Rory settled himself down beside Benny, bending his neck to see through the hole in the bush that gave a perfectly clear view of the Morgan's front door. "What are we doing?"

"Waiting," Benny answered, joining Rory at the hole and watching the front door warily.

"Ooooh." Rory nodded, firm and confident, then he tilted his head to the side and looked to Benny. "What are we waiting for?"

"For Ethan to make his move. If he thinks he's going to meet Jesse by himse-" Benny paused and winced, closing his eyes as he realised that maybe, just maybe, he might have said too much.

Rory frowned. "Why would Ethan wanna meet up with Jesse?"

That question had Benny stumped and he was attempting to come up with an answer for it that didn't involve 'oh, Ethan's been turned into a fledgling and Jesse told him he has a cure', when Rory carried on with another question.

"And why are you watching his front door when I just saw him about a block from the school?"

Immediately, Benny was moving, packing up his equipment. "Oh, you think you can outsneak me, do you? Well, we'll see... we'll just see who the better sneak is."

"Wait!" Rory called, pulling himself up and throwing himself after Benny. "Wait for me!"

Pulling his bag over his head and onto his shoulder, Benny glanced behind him to Rory but kept on forward... "Hurry up the-" and right into someone in front of him.

"Oww?" Sarah whined, holding her hand up to her nose.

Benny looked to her and winced in sympathy. "Sarah! Sorry, that was... ow, that looks like it hurts."

"That's because it does!" she complained, her eyes screwed up as she continued to gingerly feel her nose. Then her hand fell away and she looked between Benny and Rory. "What are you two _doing_?"

"Us? Nothing... what are _you_ doing?" Benny narrowed his eyes on her, looking her up and down as if she were the one acting suspiciously and not him.

"I'm on my way to your house," she supplied. "Your grandma said she had some new fake blood for me."

The false suspicion fell away from Benny's features and he grinned, clapping a hand onto Sarah's upper arm gently. "Then have fun! And we'll see you later!"

And he continued to move forward and passed her, hoping to get away without her asking any further questions. But then, maybe that was too much to hope for.

"Where are you going so late at night?" she asked and Benny could hear the distrust and uncertainty in her tone.

"We're going after Ethan," Rory answered cheerfully, causing Benny to grimace.

Sarah took a moment before she spoke again, her words slow and careful. "Where _is_ Ethan?"

Rory opened his mouth to answer and Benny just knew it would be the wrong answer. Or, more accurately, it would be the _right_ answer, just the wrong one to give Sarah. He moved swiftly, spinning on the spot to grab Rory and wrap his hand around his friend's mouth so that the words died away in a muffle. And really, the act had no benefits. He should have known that. He might as well have let Rory spit it out as Sarah was already putting things together without his help.

"He's gone after Jesse by himself, hasn't he?" she asked, her face falling.

Benny offered a sheepish smile, still firmly holding onto Rory and keeping his friend's mouth closed. "Not exactly."

"I should have known he was up to something," she growled out, more to herself than to Benny or Rory. But when she continued on, it was aimed at them. "He's going to get himself killed..."

Leaving go of Rory, Benny pointed to Sarah. "For the record, I tried to talk him out of it. I told him it was a trap."

Sarah shook her head and let go of a frustrated breath. She moved forward, pushing passed Rory and Benny, and set off in the direction of the school. "If Jesse doesn't kill him, _I_ will."

* * *

><p>The doors to the gym were open when Ethan got there, the lighting inside turned low. His footsteps echoed around the empty place, reverberating in the air and off the walls. He walked to the centre, meandering across the polished floor, and came to a stop. No sign of Jesse. Turning on the spot, he looked around, taking in each area of the gym from the stands to the shadowed corners.<p>

"I honestly didn't think you would come," came Jesse's voice and Ethan turned in time to see him emerging from the shadows near the entrance.

"Well, I'm here," Ethan shot back, trying his best not to shuffle and fidget as he stared the vampire down. He had come prepared. There was a water gun filled with holy water in his backpack, along with one of the blades Benny's grandma had given them before, and several stakes. But still, he didn't feel like it was enough.

"Yes, you are." Jesse grinned and Ethan was put in mind of a wolf that had its prey in its sights. He stalked forward, just like a wolf would, approaching the prey with rising anticipation.

"You said you had a cure." Straight to the point. Ethan didn't feel like lingering about. He wanted to find out quick whether he was being played or not, though the sinking feeling in his stomach told him he already knew the answer.

Fangs flashing, Jesse's grin grew. "Ah yes, the cure." He came to a stop several feet away from Ethan and cocked his head to the side, his eyes glowing softly in the dark as they looked Ethan up and down. "If you can go twenty-eight days without drinking human blood, then you'll be cured. 'Course, you'll also be dead... and it's probably more like, what? Twenty-six days now?"

Ethan swallowed the lump in his throat but refused to look away from the vampire, refused to break his glare. "What do you want?" he asked cautiously, because Jesse couldn't have lured him to the gym _just_ to tell him that.

"I would have thought that was obvious," Jesse continued on, mocking. "I want what every vampire trapped in the body of a teenager wants."

"And what's that?"

"I want the girl... and to rule over Whitechapel as well of course." Then the grin vanished, a look of seriousness falling into place on Jesse's features. "I want Sarah... but for some reason you, _Ethan_, seem to hold some sort of hold over here."

The name was said with such venom, such distaste, as Jesse practically spat it from his lips, and he shot forward, so fast that all Ethan saw was a blur and then Jesse... staring him down, his hand wrapped around Ethan's neck.

"So here's the deal, Ethan. You're going to die. I'm going to kill you right now whilst there's no one here to save you."

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><p><em>Thanks for reading!<br>_


	7. Chapter 7

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Thank you for reading and for the comments. I'm now halfway through Nano and man is it exhausting, it's definitely nice to take a break from it and be able to work on this fic when I can ^^  
><em>

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><p><em><span>Chapter 7<span>_

"So here's the deal, Ethan. You're going to die. I'm going to kill you right now whilst there's no one here to save you."

Jesse's grip tightened around Ethan's throat as he raised him from the ground. He kept him there, feet dangling a foot away from the polished floor for a long moment during which Ethan could feel himself struggling for breath. But before his vision could blur too much or his lungs could ache from the lack of oxygen, Jesse threw Ethan towards the stands as if he was nothing more than a weightless ragdoll.

Ethan crashed into the first step of the stands and felt pain blossom out from his back. His backpack skidded away, somewhere beyond, out of reach. But he was left with no time to search for it. Jesse stalked forward, toward him.

"You know what the best thing about being me is?" Jesse asked, cocking his head to the side.

Ethan grunted and pushed himself up a little. "Is it your sparkling personality?"

But Jesse ignored him, only offering a twisted and dry smile in return for Ethan's remark before continuing on as if Ethan hadn't spoken. "I _always_ get what I want. People just don't say no to me. They can't."

"Then it looks like your luck is running out," Ethan spat back, glaring at Jesse with a mixture of contempt and worry as the vampire drew closer.

"Do you know what happens to people who say no to me? Do you know what will happen to Sarah?" Jesse grinned, wicked and devilish, mere feet away now. "I will destroy _everything_ she cares about, starting with you."

Coming to a stop at Ethan's feet, Jesse considered him for a moment, shaking his head as if he thought it wasn't even worth the effort. But still, he swooped down all the same, his hands snaking out to grip Ethan's jacket and pull him upward to his feet. Ethan took the opportunity to struggle against him, placing his hands against Jesse's shoulder in an attempt to push him back. And push him back he did.

Jesse was forced into letting go of Ethan as he was sent flying back toward the opposite wall, though instead of crashing into it, he landed gracefully a foot or two in front of it and smiled. Ethan was still too shocked by the strength he had pushed out to pay too much attention to the cocky way Jesse began approaching again, those pale eyes lit up in anticipation.

"You know, I really wasn't sure at first," Jesse called out to him and the way he spoke reminded Ethan of a villain's monologue at the end of a film. Only the way things were going for Ethan, he doubted it things would go quite the same way it did in the movies.

Ethan swallowed the lump in his throat and watched Jesse, wary, unable to speak, his mind still spinning too much.

"I thought that maybe... maybe Sarah _had_ gotten all the venom out because it just took so. Damn. Long. To take effect," Jesse continued, pausing in his movements, his eyes moving up and down Ethan. "But then," he said, raising a finger, "then I remembered. Your blood tasted different... it was 'special'."

"I've heard that somewhere before," Ethan shot at him, suddenly feeling incredibly uncomfortable at the thought of Jesse knowing about how different his blood was. He drew back a little, his legs hitting the bottom step of the stands and stopping him from moving any further back.

Jesse rolled his eyes and let go of a breath before regarding Ethan again, the distaste back in his eyes and voice. "Don't worry, you're not my type." Then he grinned that deadly, wolfish grin of his, head tilting to the side once more. "But that doesn't mean I can't use you."

He pushed forward once more and Ethan felt his chest tighten, a small voice in the back of his mind telling him that he couldn't just stand there and wait for Jesse to get to him. His eyes dropped to the ground and he searched for his backpack. It wasn't until he span on the spot and saw a hint of black and red beneath the stands that he found it.

Dropping to his knees at the base of the stands, he ducked his head to see his backpack more clearly. The zip had come undone and the water gun was laying half in and half out of the bag, a small pool of Holy Water seeping out from where the holder had broken away, the dagger right in the centre of the pool. He cursed but reached out all the same, stretching his arm as far as he could and pushing against the stands, fingertips scrabbling at nothing but empty floor and air.

Then he felt the burn of Holy Water and instantly pulled back, hissing at the pain it caused. Holding his hand to his chest, he lowered his gaze again and cursed. He wasn't going to be able to reach the backpack from there, not before Jesse got to him.

He pushed himself up and away from the stands, turning to see Jesse looming closer – taking his time, toying with Ethan. After all, Jesse was a vampire and had been for longer than Ethan had even been alive. And Ethan was... he was a fledgling who didn't even know how to use any of the powers he had been granted with the curse.

With one last look to Jesse, Ethan darted to the right, pushing himself forward until he reached the end of the stands. Once there, he gripped the side and rounded it, all the time listening as Jesse continued to talk to him.

"What was it like?" Jesse asked, tone mocking, "Having your body at war with itself?"

Ethan skidded to a halt halfway down the back of the stands and swooped down for the magical, vampire slaying dagger. The Holy water burned at his skin but he ignored it, knowing it would heal – or at least hoping it would. When Jesse next spoke, it was from directly behind Ethan, the vampire practically breathing down his neck. Ethan froze in place.

"How did it feel, trying to fight off the vampire venom slowly spreading through your system... only to lose?"

Ethan swallowed the fear that quickened his heartbeat and tightened his grip on the handle of the dagger. Spinning on the spot, he slashed out with it. "It sucked," he replied with a low growl.

Jesse drew back, narrowly avoiding the tip of the blade, the smile on his face growing even more. "But you feel great now."

Ethan refused to answer that. Yes, he did feel great. His body felt more alive than it had ever done. He felt like he could do anything. Yet, underneath all of that, there was the darker side too. There was the gnawing hunger that ate at his stomach and continued to remind him just why he needed a cure... why he had to get back to normal.

He slashed out again and once more Jesse jumped back.

"Fight me like a true vampire," Jesse goaded, laughter tainting his voice as he snorted. "But then, you're not really a true vampire yet, are you? You're just a fledgling."

"It's enough to defeat you!" Ethan spat back at him, readying the dagger once more and pushing forward to take another swipe at Jesse.

Jesse didn't dodge that time. Instead, he blocked. He gripped Ethan's wrist and spun him around so that his back was to Jesse and the knife was pressed against his own throat, the blade caressing his skin. His free hand was gripped by Jesse also and brought up behind his back, locking Ethan firmly in place.

It was in that moment, in the silence that followed the act, footsteps echoed from the doorway to the gym and a familiar voice called out.

"Ethan?" Sarah questioned, her voice unsure and coated in concern.

Jesse tugged at Ethan, causing the blade to dig into Ethan's skin but not cut. With a voice that definitely held a twisted smile, he breathed out, "well, this is interesting."

Ethan tried to fight against him, bucking as much as he could but the blade limited his movement and in the end he could do nothing as Jesse dragged him out from behind the stands to face the three that stood in the open doorway. He was nothing more than a human shield, and even then, he wasn't really human anymore.

"Let him go," Sarah demanded, taking a step forward into the gym, her eyes locked on Jesse.

Rory and Benny remained in the doorway, watching.

Jesse tugged at Ethan, pulling his arm further up his back, the action causing Ethan to wince at the pain flaring there. "How about we show Sarah what you've been hiding?"

"No..." Ethan breathed out with a grunt against the pain, his gaze flickering to Sarah, her eyes meeting his, questioning.

"Come on, Ethan," Jesse taunted, "show us your fangs."

Ethan tensed despite the adrenaline running through his veins, making him want to fight, to break away. But the dagger was right at his neck, and the threat was right there, staining Jesse's words, colouring his voice. So Ethan tensed, and looked to Sarah, not knowing what else to do.

"No?" Jesse questioned and there was something about the way he said it that made Ethan's stomach drop and chest feel hollow. It was too gleeful, which, for Jesse, wasn't a good thing. "Then how about I give you a reason to?"

It happened so quickly that Ethan was barely aware Jesse had let go of him. He was barely aware that he was no longer holding the knife. In fact, he wasn't aware of anything until he saw Jesse appear behind Benny, knife in hand. The vampire pushed Benny forward, adjusting his grip on the knife and readying it, already making the movements to bring it down.

Ethan didn't know how he did it. He didn't care. All he knew was that he had needed to stop Jesse, stop the knife, before it hit Benny. And so one moment he was standing by the stands, but in the next, he was beside Benny, pushing him out of the way of the knife in time to stop it from hitting a vital point but not in time to stop it from nicking his arm. Not in time to stop it from doing what Jesse had intended.

A scent rose to the air, one that caused Ethan's hunger to intensify. His guts twisted and he froze in place, staring down at Benny and the look of panic that formed on his friend's face. The realisation seemed to dawn on him as it had on Ethan. Benny was the only human there, surrounded by vampires... and he was bleeding.

Jesse took a step forward, catching Ethan's gaze and holding it with his own wicked eyes. A promise lingered there, one that said he wasn't done yet. One that said he wasn't planning on leaving any of them be until he had broken them all down. "I'll be seeing you," was all he said before flashing his fangs once more and then disappearing out of the gym doors and into the night.

"Ethan?" Sarah asked, uncertain, taking a step toward him.

She placed a hand on his arm but Ethan couldn't bring himself to look at her. He couldn't look at any of them, especially not Benny when he was just there... bleeding. The smell was growing stronger the longer it lingered in the air. Sweet with just a hint of something else, something different and enticing. It was like being exposed to the scent of a new pizza with a super secret, extra special ingredient...

And then the hunger really hit.

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><p><em>Thank you for reading!<br>_


	8. Chapter 8

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N:This was meant to be up last Wednesday so I am mucho sorry for the delay. Bad cold, amongst other things, kept me from being able to work on much. But I'm back and now Nano is done, no more distractions from that front._

_Thank you so much for reading and for the comments. Hope you enjoy!_

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><p><em><span>Chapter 8<span>_

Marshmallows.

At least that was what the scent hanging in the air reminded Ethan of, the scent that he knew was Benny's blood. But it didn't just hang in the air, it swam through it, enticing and alluring. The hunger it caused had Ethan doubling over, aching from the need to feed. It made him feel hollow inside with the promise to make him whole, if he just had one... little... bite.

"Benny," he growled out, closing his eyes tight and attempting to breathe through the hunger pains.

But instead of doing the smart thing and moving away, Benny drew closer and the smell grew stronger. Ethan could taste his own blood in his mouth and feel the sharp sting as he felt his teeth shift. Fangs. So he did have them after all.

"Benny," he tried again, refusing to look to his friend, knowing his eyes would be gleaming and not wishing for Benny to see them... or Sarah. "Benny, you have to go..."

"E," Benny answered, voice rising to a worried plea, "I'm not leaving you like this."

A sharp spike of pain brought Ethan to his knees with an even sharper intake of breath. It took everything he had to stay where he was, to not move forward and obey the basic animalistic instincts he could feel seeping through with the hunger. He hugged at his stomach, head so low he could feel the cool from the floor below.

"Go!" he shouted at the floor, opening his eyes enough to see his breath misting the polished surface up. "Benny, go now!"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and knew the touch instantly. Sarah. She lowered herself down beside him and though the gesture was one of comfort, he knew it was also one of precaution. She was readying herself to hold him back should she need to.

"Benny," she started, "you need to do as Ethan said. You need to leave."

"Duuude!" Rory called out from somewhere near the doors, breaking into any refusal Benny could have had. The low, drawn out word served as a reminder to his presence and Ethan could hear the excitement and confusion in his tone. "You're one of us? That is awesome!"

"I don't think Ethan sees it that way," Benny answered, voice strained and footsteps still. He still refused to go anywhere.

"Oh... er... yeah," Rory went on and Ethan raised his head enough to see the blonde vampire nodding and turn his attention toward Benny. "You know, Ethan and Sarah might be right. Unless you want to become his first meal... you really should get out of here. The hunger can be way intense when you first turn."

"Thanks for that, Rory," Ethan groaned, pushing the words out through gritted teeth.

Sarah shook her head. "Just go! The pair of you. I'll see to Ethan."

It took Benny another moment to obey, his movements hesitant, gaze shifting between Sarah and Ethan before remaining on the latter. "Just to clarify, when you say _see_ to... you mean rat hunting, right?"

"Benny!" Ethan growled out again, clenching his teeth and closing his eyes tight once more.

"Okay! I'm going, I'm going!" Benny surrendered, his footsteps echoing around the silent gym as he moved toward the door. They paused at the entrance for a moment before disappearing, along with Rory's.

Ethan opened his eyes again to look up to the empty space left behind by them but his gaze was quickly drawn to Sarah and the worry in her eyes.

"Have you eaten anything?" she asked, meeting his gaze, her brow creased.

"I had a hamburger at lunch?" he answered, to which she let out a frustrated breath and rolled her eyes in reply.

"I mean blood, doofus!"

He grimaced at the very idea of drinking blood; any kind of blood, whether from a human or furry rodent running about in the back alleys. But even with Benny gone, even with the scent fading somewhat, the hunger refused to disappear.

"I'll take that as a no then," Sarah went on to say. Her features turned soft, the worry taking over the frustration once more, and she looked him over before wrapping an arm around his waist and dragging him up from the floor. "Come on," she encouraged, "I know the perfect spot."

* * *

><p>It was with a great reluctance that Benny left the school gym. Hand covering the slash on his arm, he sent worried glances toward Rory, watching his blonde vampire friend with even more wariness than ever before. They walked along the sidewalk, away from the school and onward to Benny's home.<p>

With a huff, Rory rolled his eyes, the exaggerated gesture also causing his head and shoulders to roll. "Dude, if you were a hot babe then you could worry about me biting you, like Erica or the hot mathlete chick or..." and he sighed before continuing on, a smile spreading across his lips as he drew the next name out like a hushed secret, "_Betty_. What a woman..."

That didn't help calm Benny at all. In fact, it had the opposite reaction and he came to a complete stop on the sidewalk. "Actually," he started, "I think I'm going to go the other way..."

Rory's features took on a pout, his eyes growing wide and gaze falling to the floor as he shuffled from foot to foot and shrugged. He hitched a thumb toward the left and let the obvious lie slip passed his lips. Benny knew it was obvious because Rory was never any good at lying. "I wasn't going the whole way! Once I knew there were no other vampires, I was gonna shoot off this way. Honest."

And deciding it was probably better that way, Benny nodded. He glanced over his shoulder briefly, back toward the school, his gaze lingering in that direction for a moment before returning to Rory.

"You know, Ethan'll be okay," Rory insisted, bobbing his head up and down energetically. Then he paused and chewed at his lip before meeting Benny's eyes. "Right?"

"He's Ethan!" Benny said in return, as if that was answer enough. He forced a grin to his lips and held himself as if he was truly confident that Ethan would be okay. Of course, there was the nagging doubt which generally, Benny made it a rule to ignore, but this time it was concerning Ethan, his best friend, so he just couldn't bring himself to dismiss it completely. "Sarah will look after him."

After another attempt at reassuring each other, the pair split up and Benny set off back toward his home. As soon as he entered his house, he made his way through each room, calling for his Grams, until he found her. As she was in the kitchen and that was the first room Benny checked, he had a short search.

"Grams!" he called, entering the room, his gaze roaming it before landing on his grandma as she stood by the stove, no doubt brewing some new potion for her shelf.

She turned to face him, her eyebrow rising immediately as she saw his arm. She didn't need to speak, the way her lips thinned and eyes narrowed into a glare was enough for Benny to understand the meaning. '_What have you done now?_' or at least, that was the implication.

Instead of a denial or plea of innocence, the words that slipped past Benny's lips were, "Ethan's a fledgling."

The accusation was wiped to be replaced by questioning with just a hint of disbelief. "If you boys have done something you shouldn't have done..."

But the threat remained unfinished as Benny cut in, shaking his head and offering up a saddened smile. "The bite on his arm... the venom... Sarah didn't get it all out."

His grandma closed her eyes briefly and nodded in understanding. When she looked to Benny again, it was to guide him to a seat in the kitchen. He let himself be guided and obeyed when she motioned for him to lay his arm upon the kitchen worktop. His eyes followed her, watching her move toward a nearby cupboard and search inside.

"It's my fault, I should have done something. He said something was wrong, he knew. But I didn't listen to him. I should have believed him." He hung his head and his Grams moved closer once more.

"And if you had believed him," she questioned, pouring some oil over a cotton pad, "what would you have done?"

Benny thought about that for a moment. In truth, he didn't have an answer and so offered up a sheepish grin and a shrug that said just as much.

"Knowing and believing wouldn't have changed anything," she told him, reaching out toward his arm with the cotton pad.

He watched her and winced when the pad touched the slash on his arm, the sting from the oil radiating out. "What is that?" he asked, eyes turning toward the small jar of oil. "Magic healing potion? Vampire repellent?"

"Antiseptic oil," she answered, tone flat.

Benny frowned, his nose wrinkling up in disappointment. "Oh..."

He continued to watch her work, waiting until she had bandaged his arm before speaking again. The bandage firmly in place, he flexed his arm and slid from the stool to pace the kitchen floor.

"There has to be a cure," he said, only pausing in his pacing when his grandma said nothing. He looked to her, eyes pleading. "There is a cure, right? Somewhere..."

* * *

><p>In the end, Sarah had chosen the graveyard as a place to hunt. She'd taken Ethan there via the Vampire Express and had told him to wait while she caught him his first succulent bloody meal as a vampire, fit for a vampire king – if said king had very little taste and no actual sense of royalty to begin with. Ethan didn't argue. He couldn't. After all, what choice did he have? He needed blood and if he didn't get it, he didn't know how long he could keep the animal, clawing at his insides, on a leash.<p>

He looked down at the rat Sarah dropped beside him with distaste before looking up at Sarah, his expression mimicking his words and the whine they held. "Do I have to?"

Sarah leaned against a gravestone, her eyes sympathetic but the rest of her features strict. "It's either that or we could call back your geek squad and you can chow down on Benny."

He pushed out a deep sigh and looked down at the rat. It was dead, neck snapped by the look of it, and the fur was brushed up in all places, scruffy and a mess. Reluctant didn't even begin to describe how he felt in that moment. Unwilling, wary, squeamish...

"It's just a rat," Sarah told him. "They're not that bad."

"Unless they're carrying the plague," he moaned before finally giving in.

It was a little while later, when the hunger had been quietened somewhat, that Sarah spoke again. Ethan guessed it was a mixture of curiosity and an act of kindness to get Ethan's mind away from the thought of blood and rats. He pushed himself up and she joined him in standing, studying him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, tone solemn.

"I was going to..." he started, the rest of his words dying before they could make it out.

"But then Jesse offered a cure?" Sarah finished for him.

He offered up a sheepish smile, shrinking in on himself under the intense gaze she held over him. "Something like that," he answered, voice rising toward the end, not entirely convinced by his own words as he knew it was _exactly_ like that.

Sarah shook her head and the pair set off back toward the town. Silence echoed between them for another moment before Sarah spoke again.

"What happened?" she asked, pausing in her steps to motion his entirety with her hand. "_How_ did it happen?"

Ethan's smile turned sad and his hand moved up to cover his arm, the place he'd been bitten. It was strange how well he could remember the bite of Jesse's fangs in his skin and the sensation that followed. "I'm still not entirely sure."

The sadness in his eyes reflected in hers and she breathed out. "The dance?" she questioned, gaze falling to his arm briefly, not missing his movement or reluctance to say as such.

He shrugged, still not wanting Sarah to feel guilty, even though Jesse had confirmed his thoughts during their brief 'chat'.

Sarah growled out and continued walking again, her footsteps determined, angry. But Ethan could tell the anger wasn't meant for him. It was meant for Jesse. "If he thinks he can just go about turning my friends, I swear to God... I will find a way to kill him."

Ethan rushed after her, matching her stride when he caught up. "Where are you going?" he questioned.

"I'm going to find him and I'm going to-"

Ethan gripped her arm, bringing her to a standstill and cutting her off. "We need a plan... a better plan than the last time."

Sarah raised an incredulous eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back and looked him up and down. When she spoke, her tone was filled with attitude. "So you had a plan earlier then? When you went to meet Jesse for a cure?"

"Not exactly," he drawled out, reluctant, but before she could say anything further, he went on to add, voice rising a little with each word, "and look how well that turned out!"

She huffed out but said nothing further, still too sympathetic to point out that Ethan could have gotten himself killed.

"So we need a plan," Ethan continued, in hopes that her silence meant she was in agreement. "And I need to get to Benny's."

Sarah sighed but nodded before adding, "Looks like Benny's Grandma is going to be kept pretty busy."

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for reading!<br>_


	9. Chapter 9

**The Hunger**

_Summary: One month after the Jesse 'incident' and things are returning to normal. Except, Ethan doesn't feel too normal and that bite mark on his arm is taking it's time to heal._

_Spoilers: Up to and including 1X13 (Re-Vamped)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, only the madness in my words._

_A/N: Thank you all for reading and for the great comments I've received for this so far. I'm really enjoying writing this so I hope you continue to enjoy reading it! And now, here's an earlier update to make up for the wait before.  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 9<br>_

It was nearing midnight when Ethan and Sarah found their way to Benny's house. Almost as soon as knocking at the door, they were invited in and led through to the kitchen where Benny's grandma stood over a large pot, stirring. Upon their arrival though, she abandoned it and grabbed what looked like a juice box from a small stash of juice boxes that decorated the kitchen counter. The difference with this one though was it was already open.

"This," Benny's grandma began, handing the open juice box to Ethan, "is for you."

"Thanks," Ethan answered, voice and smile sheepish as he took a sniff of the straw then moved on to take a small taste. It was better than he had imagined, surprisingly good and much more enjoyable than the rat's blood. As it coated his tongue and he continued to drink, it soothed him, relaxed him.

"There's plenty more for you over there," she continued on, motioning in the direction of the other juice boxes before turning to her attention to Sarah, "and for you of course, too, dear."

Sarah offered a smile and a nod. "Thank you."

"How you feeling there, E?" Benny asked, speaking up from the seat he had taken by the kitchen counter.

Ethan could still smell the lingering scent of marshmallows in the air but it had faded somewhat, no longer overpowering. The fake blood inside the juice box helped calm any hunger that the scent roused and he brought it away from his lips to meet his friend's eyes. He shrugged in reply to the question and let go of a breath. "I feel like I've been sucked through a wormhole."

"Are we talking time travel wormhole or intergalactic space wormhole?" Benny questioned, eyes narrowed.

"You know, I was actually thinking more-"

But before Ethan could continue on with what he was thinking of, Sarah cut in, interrupting him with a sharp, "Boys!"

They shushed immediately and looked to her.

"Seriously?" she went on to say, "Geek speak, now, of all times?"

Ethan shuffled from foot to foot, head lowering a little as he cleared his throat. A quick glance toward Benny showed him that Benny had also clammed up, lips pulled into a tight and slightly apologetic smile. Sarah shook her head at the pair of them and let go of a lengthy sigh.

"Is now really the time?" Sarah questioned again, looking to both of them in turn.

"That really depends," Benny went on to answer, the smile of his growing into a grin. "Who has an awesome grandma? Yep, that's right – I do."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, eyebrow raised as she regarded him.

Benny jumped from his seat and was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he looked to his grandma in silence, evidentially waiting for her to give the go ahead. She rolled her eyes and returned to the stove but nodded all the same, so Benny continued on.

"There's this book, right, Grams?" he started, the excitement clear in the exaggerated swishes of his arms and escalating volume of his voice. "And it's a magic book with spells and potions, like mine... only better. Way, way, _way_ better."

"You want a new magic book?" Ethan questioned, narrowing his eyes on his friend, studying him.

"This isn't just any magic book. This book belonged to some dude called... Abraham? Aberforth..."

"Abercrombie," his grandma corrected, her expression bored and unconvinced, eyebrows raised. "Josiah Abercrombie. He was a powerful Spellmaster back in the day and that book is his legacy."

Ethan nodded, unsure, then shared a glance with Sarah who shrugged, uncertainty also registering on her features.

"If there's a cure," Benny continued, slamming his hand against the kitchen counter in his excitement, "it'll be in this book."

"A cure?" Sarah asked, taking a step forward. "An actual cure?"

"Well," Benny muttered, smile turned sheepish once more as he shifted from one foot to the other and offered up a half shrug, "we won't actually know until we find the book."

"Then where is it?" Ethan questioned, attempting to quell the fluttering of hope within his chest.

"Hidden," Benny's grandma answered, looking to Ethan. "Your great, great grandfather, along with a few select others, hid it somewhere within Whitechapel to keep its secrets safe and out of the wrong hands."

"Where'd he hide it?"

"I'm afraid, you'll have to ask him that."

* * *

><p>When Benny's grandma had said that, Ethan had assumed that meant there was no way of finding out. After all, his great, great grandfather was dead – as far as Ethan knew anyway. So when she retreated to her room and then returned shortly after with a Ouija board in her hands, Ethan began to understand and after the last incident with spirits and boards, he really wasn't sure about the idea at all. Though the board was different from the one they had used before, wooden and engraved with the alphabet and numbers, along with three words – yes, no, and goodbye – Ethan still felt uneasy about any kind of board that communicated with spirits. And yet, the next evening, he still found himself sitting on his bedroom floor with two fingers on the wooden pointer, or planchette as Benny's grandma had called it, looking uncertainly to Sarah and Benny.<p>

"Did you get it?" Benny asked.

Ethan nodded and pulled a small pin badge from his pocket then placed it on the floor beside the Ouija board. It had belonged to his great, great grandfather, according to his father anyway. Benny's grandma had told them that in order to reach Ethan's great, great grandfather, they would need something of his and the pin badge was the best thing Ethan could come up with.

"How did you get it?" Sarah questioned, eyeing the pin.

Ethan shrugged. "I told my dad it was for a school project."

Neither Sarah nor Benny questioned him any further and shortly after lighting a candle just off the side, Benny's suggestion for getting them in the 'mood', Benny placed his fingers on the planchette next to Ethan's. After a moment of hesitation, Sarah did the same.

"We wish to commune with the spirit of Theodore Morgan," Benny started, rolling his head and deepening his voice, allowing his words to expand and contract into an almost wail. It was all for show and it had Ethan rolling his eyes at his friend.

The pointer on the board remained still.

"Theodore Morgan, are you present?"

Still, the pointer did not move. Then, just as Ethan was about to let go of a sigh, he found himself holding his breath again. The pointer moved, as if someone with a shaky hand had taken hold of it. Slowly, it began to scrape across the board before finally coming to a stop, right below the 'no' marked out on the board.

Ethan breathed out, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Really?"

Again, the pointer moved. Slow at first, away from the 'no' and then back toward it again where it came to rest once more.

"Do we have the pleasure of speaking with Theodore Morgan?" Benny questioned, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the board.

The pointer hesitated before moving toward the letters on the board. It started with 'W' then moved to the 'H' and then to 'O'. Before it could go any further, Benny spoke up again.

"I am Benny Weir! First class Spellmaster of Whitechapel," he answered, deepening his voice in an imposing manner. Or at least, it would have been imposing if it hadn't been just Benny. At the glare from Ethan and incredulous look from Sarah, he continued on more weakly. "And this Ethan, Seer of Whitechapel, and Sarah... reluctant vampire who fights for good."

The pointer didn't move and this time Ethan did sigh.

"This is useless," he whined, pushing back a little but keeping his fingers on the pointer. "How are we supposed to get in touch with my great, great grandfather with a pin and a wooden board?"

But Benny was determined, Ethan had to give him that, and instead of answering Ethan, he turned to the board and tried once more, albeit weakly and lacking the same confidence he had shown before. "Are you Theodore Morgan?"

The pointer began to scrape across the board, making its way toward the 'yes'. Ethan raised an eyebrow at Benny.

"You're making it move, aren't you?" he questioned.

Benny shook his head. "I'm not!"

"You swear?"

"I swear!"

"You swear on your Ring of Zhadar from Hell's Fury: Return of the Zombie Princess?"

At that, Benny hesitated but nodded all the same. "I swear on my Ring of Zhadar!"

Ethan swallowed, his eyes returning to the board and planchette. "If this really is my great, great grandfather, then why did he say 'no' when we first asked?"

"Because he didn't realise he was dealing with a first rate Spellmaster."

Sarah rolled her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "Or more likely it's because he just realised who Ethan is."

The pointer remained still, the spirit choosing to stay out of the conversation.

"Fine," Ethan breathed out, straightening up to look over the board, "if you are Theodore Morgan, then you can tell us where you hid the Book of Abercrombie."

The pointer moved, away from 'yes' then back again.

"Great!" Benny cried on, almost knocking the pointer off the board in his excitement. "Then you'll tell us?"

The pointed moved, scraping across the board toward the 'no'.

"Why not?"

When the pointer moved again, Ethan reached up toward his desk with a spare hand and grabbed a pen and scrap of paper that should have been a piece of homework. Instead it became a place to write down each letter as the planchette moved to them.

"Angerous?" he questioned, looking down with a frown at what he had written.

"Dangerous," Sarah corrected. "The first letter was a 'D'."

"Oh c'mon Great, Great Grandpa Morgan," Benny pleaded. "We're not afraid of a little danger."

The board and planchette wobbled and bounced upon on the floor before stilling again and Benny drew back.

"Okay, so maybe we are a _little_ bit afraid..."

Ethan swallowed down the fear stirring in his stomach and shook his head, sharing a glance with Sarah before returning his gaze to the board. "We need to find that book. It's really important that we do."

There was no movement for a moment or two, except from the flickering of the candle beside them. But then the pointer began to move, slow and unsure, but it moved all the same. When it was finished, Ethan looked down at the paper to see the word 'bridge' had formed.

"Bridge?" he questioned, looking to both Benny and Sarah in turn. Both shrugged as the pointer moved to 'yes'.

"What bridge?"

The planchette moved toward the 'T' before heading to the 'R'. Before it could move again though, it shot out from under their fingertips and was sent skittering away from the board to land on its back somewhere near Ethan's bed. It felt very much like it had been ripped away from them. At the same time, the candle flickered out before relighting once more when the planchette had come to a stop.

"What was that?" Sarah questioned, drawing her hands away from the board as if it had burned her.

Ethan shook his head, eyes never leaving the planchette. "I think somebody doesn't want us finding that book."

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><p><em>Thank you for reading!<br>_


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